Tuesday, February 26, 2013

I've got something exciting to share: We are lucky enough to be a part of The Holders Blog Tour, which meant I got to read the novel early and got to ask Julianna Scott some questions about herself, her writing and of course The Holders. Enjoy!

Author interview
Allow me to introduce you to Julianna, author of The Holders.

Julianna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of her educational career convinced she would be a musician. However, after receiving her music degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she realized that she'd been born in the wrong era for her dreams of singing jazz to adoring fans clad in zoot-suits and flapper dresses to come true, and began to wonder if her true calling might be elsewhere.

While Julianna had always excelled in writing throughout school, she'd never considered it a career possibility until about three years ago, when she'd gotten her first story idea and decided to go for it. She grabbed her laptop, started typing away, and has never looked back.

For those
who have not yet heard about The Holders, could you give a short summary of the
story?

17-year-old Becca has spent her
whole life protecting her brother - from their father leaving and from the
people who say the voices in his head are unnatural. When two strangers appear
with apparent answers to Ryland's "problem" and details about a school in
Ireland where Ryland will not only fit in, but prosper, Becca is up in arms.

She reluctantly agrees to join
Ryland on his journey and what they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their
imagination. Little by little they piece together information about their
family's heritage and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the
one they've been waiting for. However things are not as clear as they once were,
and everyone is in for a surprise that will forever change what they thought
they knew about themselves and their kind.

A lot of
people have described The Holders as a new twist to X-Men. How would you
describe the novel yourself, in one sentence?

Hmm… That’s a
tricky one. I guess I would say it’s a story about the bonds of family, the
power of love, and the strength you can find within yourself if you are brave
enough to look.

Becca is
very protective over her younger brother and is rather stubborn and determined.
In which ways do you recognise yourself in her character?

Well, I am
definitely stubborn, and I always think I’m right. ;-) I am also a caregiver and
like to take care of my friends and family. To be honest, I think there will
always be a little of me in all of my main characters. If I can’t relate to them
in some way there is no way I will be able to write their stories.

The Holders
is a very interesting story, in different ways. What would its theme song be and
why?

This is a hard
one for me, because most of the music I listen to is lyric-less. I went to
college for music and some of my favorite songs are either classical, or scores
to movies. However there is a composer that I found via YouTube when I was
looking for music to inspire THE HOLDERS, named Adrian Von Ziegler. He has a ton
of amazing stuff out there, but my favorites—and the ones that I feel best suit
THE HOLDERS are Crann Na Beatha, Cliffs of Moher, and Celtic Lore.

What books
have influenced your life most?

Romance novels,
but not for the reasons you might think. In the aspect of reading, I grew up
under something of a rock. I had no idea that there were stories out there about
love and relationships that weren’t the horrid cheesey $3.99 romance novels that
I saw in the supermarket. :-) When I read my first quality romance—which was
actually only about 3 years ago—my literary life was changed.

When did you
first consider yourself a writer?

Oh goodness,
there are times when I still don’t. Insecurity is something most writers have a
load of and I am particularly bad when it comes to comparing myself with others.
I will try to call myself a ‘real writer’ but it seems to always been
subconsciously followed by, “but I’ll never be a writer like
her/him/them/etc.”

Do you have
any writing rituals?

With two little
kids, it’s hard to get into a pattern, and I’ve learned to work pretty much
anywhere and whenever I can. The only thing I absolutely require is quiet. I
can’t have the TV on or music playing, or anything like that, or it is
impossible for me to concentrate.

What do you
like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to read,
but that is probably a given. Otherwise I love spending time watching TV with my
husband, cooking and baking, and being crafty.

If you
couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

Not sure, but
it would still be something creative. I love making things, whether it’s food,
or crafts, or sewing, or art—I love to create!

So, what do you think? Will you be reading The Holders? I'd love to hear!